'My actions have caused a lot of pain,' says man in fatal Halloween party shooting

Ryan Autullo @AutulloAAS

Thursday

Feb 7, 2019 at 7:07 PMFeb 7, 2019 at 7:09 PM

Randall Jones, the Austin man who is awaiting his sentence for killing a man and injuring two others during a Halloween party shooting two years ago in the city's North Loop area, likened his actions that night to those of a toddler who erupted in anger because he didn't have his way.

Jones, who had been drinking beer for many hours in his Santa Claus costume, testified Thursday that he's hazy about the details of the incident and doesn't recall grabbing a .40-caliber handgun from under his mattress and firing 12 rounds inside of the home. But after repeated questioning from prosecutors, he conceded that he may have been offended after some of the guests forced him to go to bed because he was intoxicated and had burnt a woman by tossing a wooden pallet on top of a bonfire in the backyard.

"Like a 3-year-old who did not want to do what he was told," Jones said.

Before he is sentenced next week, Jones, 33, used his time at the stand Thursday to give his first sworn account of what caused him to snap and kill Michael "Ted" McCloskey as the 2017 party on Avenue F was beginning to taper off. Two others were injured with gunshot wounds, including Jones' roommate at the home, Jennifer Beard, who testified earlier in the week that she remains in constant pain from being shot twice in the stomach.

With the lights turned off in his bedroom, Jones said he remembers getting into a fight and being hit in the head. He testified that he stumbled out of the room, spotted one of the guests on the ground crying, and ran down the street to the first house he saw had its lights on. Though he said he didn't remember the shooting, Jones told the court that he placed his gun on the doorstep and told the residents to call police.

"My actions have caused a lot of pain to everybody," Jones said. He then singled out McCloskey, a 37-year-old Austin native who was connected to Jones through a mutual friend at the party. At the time of his death, McCloskey was living in West Texas on a 5,800-acre hunting destination and nature retreat that he operated and helped build.

"I've robbed his family and friends of a very wonderful person," Jones said.

Rather than require prosecutors to prove their case to a jury, Jones pleaded guilty last month to one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. State District Judge David Wahlberg opted against making an immediate announcement on sentencing, saying he wants to take the weekend to give the case "the full consideration it deserves." Wahlberg, who can choose any punishment for Jones from five to 99 years in prison, said he'll announce his decision at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Dr. Marisa Mauro, a psychologist who was appointed by the defense to evaluated Jones, testified that excessive drinking likely contributed to the shooting. She said Jones suffered from undiagnosed depression and self-medicated with marijuana and alcohol. Jones informed her he had not been in any violent altercations prior to the shooting, with the exception of a drunken episode in which he threw a sandwich at a friend, Mauro said.

But Jones' Instagram account revealed a darker side to his personality, according to prosecutors, who grilled him about hashtags he included on a political post: "May God have mercy on your soul. I won't" and "Gun control means using both hands." Jones said they are popular sayings or movie quotes and do not portray him as dangerous.

But Beard, the roommate, had become increasingly scared of Jones in the weeks before the shooting. She was so concerned, she testified, that she asked him to lock up his gun during the party. Jones confirmed that conversation and said he ignored Beard's request because he figured he'd get along with all of the guests.

"Flawed logic," he said.

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